Generally, an automated teller machine (ATM) is an automatic apparatus capable of providing financial services such as receiving/dispensing of bills and checks or the like in an unmanned manner using a card or a bankbook without intervention of a bank teller regardless of time and location.
In recent years, the use of automated teller machines is increasingly expanded not only in a financial institute such as a bank or the like but also in a convenience store, a department store and a public place.
Depending on the receiving and dispensing of banknotes, the automated teller machines may be classified into a banknote dispensing machine, a banknote receiving machine and a banknote receiving/dispensing machine. Recently, the automated teller machines are used for various applications such as receiving/dispensing of bills, receiving/dispensing of checks, updating of bankbooks, paying fees by giro, selling of tickets, and the like.
In a conventional automated teller machine, there are separately provided an apparatus for receiving and dispensing checks and an apparatus for receiving and dispensing bills. These apparatuses are separately mounted to a body of the automated teller machine.
Specifically, one or more bills can be received and dispensed through the bill receiving/dispensing apparatus, and one or more checks can be received and dispensed through the check receiving/dispensing apparatus. When the bill receiving/dispensing apparatus and the check receiving/dispensing apparatus are separately provided in this manner, the overall size of the automated teller machine is increased. This poses a problem in that it is difficult to efficiently utilize a space.
Meanwhile, the size of checks is often set to a uniform size. However, in some foreign countries, checks are provided in different sizes. For example, personal checks issued by a person may be different from business checks issued by a business entity. In this case, there is a problem in that it is impossible to receive and dispense a bundle of checks having different sizes.
Furthermore, when bills and checks (hereinafter referred to as “banknotes”) are received and dispensed in the form of a bundle, there may be posed a problem that the banknotes are caught in a feeding unit in the course of simultaneously feeding several banknotes. As a result, the process of receiving and dispensing banknotes may be delayed or may not be performed.
Accordingly, a demand has existed for the development of a banknote bundle receiving/dispensing machine capable of simultaneously receiving and dispensing banknotes in the form of a bundle, capable of making the machine slim and capable of being used in many countries having different banknote standards.
Reference Document: Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-30085